The Curse of the One Eyed Phantom
by Shaggelmalove
Summary: Just a story me and LoveofVelma have been working on together. An arson is on the loose in Coolsville, and he's targeting the gang.
1. Chapter 1

The Curse of the One Eyed Phantom

Disclaimer: Scooby Doo and all related characters are owned by Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros.,and Cartoon Network. All other characters, names, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, places, and incidents is coincidental.

Chapter One: The Phantom's Message

The voice on the tape had been electronically altered but the message was unmistakable. Either

Mystery Inc. dispersed and Velma Dinkley leaves Coolsville forever, or prepare to pay the consequences. What consequences were involved wasn't mentioned, but no one, especially Velma, thought the caller meant Mystery Inc. any good wishes.

The second warning arrived a few days later, again by tape, but there were no more threatening tapes in the coming days and the gang put it down as just a prank. That was their first mistake.

One change was made at Fred's insistence. Flood lights were installed on all four corners of the building but after repeated complaints from neighbors, the one thousand watt lamps were replaced with one hundred fifty watt lamps; a timer turned off the lights one hour after dusk. The neighbors didn't complain after the lower wattage lights were installed and every one relaxed and went about their business. This would be their second mistake.

A week passed with no threatening tapes being received. Then, at four o'clock in the morning and with every one asleep, a black robed form slipped from the enveloping darkness, made it's way to the side of Mystery Inc. headquarters. Kneeling to remove the cap of a large canister, the hooded individual splashed a liquid over the wall; walking slowly, careful not to splash any of the liquid onto the black robes.

Suddenly, activated by motion sensors, the flood lights came on, silhouetting the startled phantom.

Recovering quickly, a match was struck, dropped and the phantom rushed to the nearby covering darkness. Behind the running figure Mystery Inc. headquarters exploded in flames.

-Xxxxxx

Part Two: Consequences

On the second floor of the building, Scooby Doo, mascot of Mystery Inc. was the first to become aware that something was amiss.

"Raggy! Raggy! Rake rup!"

"Go away, Scoob! Let me sleep."

"Raggy! Rire!" Scooby's announcement was punctuated by sirens in the distance. This was enough to

bring Shaggy out of his sleep induced fog.

"Scoob! Wake Fred, then Daphne! I'll get to Velma! Remember, we meet at the old oak tree outside!"

"Rright!" And then Scooby ran out of the room, barking loudly; the downstairs smoke alarms went off, joined almost immediately by the upper floor alarms, filling the house with their steady clanging.

Following their fire escape plans, the gang soon rendezvoused at the old tree; they watched the burning

building and the many firemen who went about the business of trying to save the structure.

"Relma? Relma! Rear's Relma?" Fred, Daphne and Shaggy looked disbelievingly first at Scooby then horrified at the inferno before them.

"Stop that man!" was heard as Shaggy started running toward the flaming construction. A fireman stepped in front of Shaggy, blocking his way.

"My friend, Velma, is still in there! Get out of my way!" Shaggy yelled hysterically.

"We can't let you or anyone else go in there! Where is she?" the fireman shouted over the noise.

"Upper story, rear bedroom on the right."

"Marco, Get the ladder truck over here!" And then he turned his attention back to Shaggy. "Take it easy, we'll get her out."

Shaggy watched as the driver, he assumed it was Marco, position the ladder truck and began the task of extending the ladder. The ladder was barely in place when a fireman, the same fireman that had stopped

Shaggy, started up the ladder; in less than five minutes the fireman reappeared at the window, an unconscious Velma slung over his shoulder.

An ambulance pulled up beside the ladder truck; meeting the descending fireman. Velma was placed

inside the ambulance. "I want to go along with her." Shaggy implored the medical personnel.

"Normally, we don't mind; in this case, we're going to be busy. You can help your friend best by meeting her at the hospital." The attendant jumped into the ambulance and it drove off.

It took some time for Fred, Daphne and Shaggy to get to the Mystery Machine and make stops at each home for a change of clothes before heading to see how Velma was doing. They were met at the hospital, not by a doctor, but by the fire Chief informing them that the Mystery Inc. headquarters structure was a total loss. The Chief also told them that arson was suspected.

The Chief was replaced by a white coated doctor. "Friends of Velma Dinkley?" He asked.

"Is she okay?" Shaggy blundered ahead of the others.

"She will be. She took in a lot of smoke. We'll be keeping her overnight at least."

"May we see her?" A worried Daphne asked.

"We have her sedated. She will be awake tomorrow. You can see her tomorrow." The doctor replied.

That night loomed ahead, it would be a long night; no one was interested in sleeping but it was agreed that nothing could be done tonight. The best thing was to get what sleep they could and Fred would pick Daphne and Shaggy up in the morning for their visit with Velma in the hospital.

"She'll be okay, Shaggy. You'll see." Daphne hugged Shaggy in front of his house.

"I know, Daphne. That's not what has me worried." Shaggy returned the hug, feeling as if he needed to hold onto something, someone, or let despair and depression take over. He should have went inside her bedroom to make sure she was awake, not just accept her answering call when he had shouted his warning.

"What has you worried then?"

"Did you see the Chief's eyes at the hospital? Daphne, he thinks one of us set the fire, the others are just covering up."

"Fred, I'm worried about Shaggy," Daphne had returned to the Mystery Machine for the ride to her home, telling Fred about what Shaggy had told her. "He's taking this incident with Velma hard. Do you think there might be something going on between them that we're not aware of?"

"No, Daph. They're just friends. All of us are taking this hard. But I agree with Shaggy, we'll have to solve this mystery to clear our names."

"Thanks, Freddy, for bringing me home." Daphne said as Fred walked her to her door.

"It'll be okay, Daph. Get some sleep, we'll search for clues after visiting Velma."

"Good night, Freddy," Daphne glided into the offered embrace. Their lips met in a brush, then was maintained, neither wanting to part. "See you in the morning." Daphne reluctantly detached herself

and entered her home for a restless search for sleep.

The three friends found a spot in the hospital parking lot and made their way towards the front doors, which opened automatically at their approach. A small coffee shop was open on their left, reception straight in front.

"We're looking for Velma Dinkley. She was brought in last night." Fred, as usual, took the lead.

"Burn unit, fourth floor, room 402." The receptionist said after hitting the appropriate computer keys.

"But she wasn't burned. Why would she be put in the burn unit?" A nervous Shaggy asked.

"she was involved in that big fire last night, wasn't she?" The receptionist asked condescendingly.

"Yes, but..." Daphne spoke up.

"Standard procedure." The lady dressed in pink pointed to the elevators on the right, dismissing the group.

"Two visitors at a time, no more than five minutes each visit." the nurse informed them when they arrived at the nurses station.

"You go first, Shaggy," Daphne softly touched his shoulder, "she needs to see you. Freddy and I can wait." Shaggy only shook his head in acknowledgment.

Shaggy moved slowly, as in a dream, a nightmare, toward the still form lying under the oxygen tent.

She looked pale but he put at least part of that to seeing her through the opaque plastic.

"Velma...Vel?" He faltered, unsure of his voice.

Velma turned, her smile widening when she saw her visitor. "Now, how did I know you would be my first visitor?" She reached out, slipping her slender hand under the crinkly plastic. He took it in both of his, "Fred and Daph are waiting. The nurse said only five minutes. Any idea when you'll get out of this contraption?"

"The doctor said they would run some breathing tests this afternoon. If I pass, I'll probably go home tomorrow morning."

"I never knew any test you couldn't pass." Shaggy smiled for the first time since she had been loaded into the ambulance. "Vel, I promise you, we'll find who did this."

"I know." she reached up to wipe away the tears cascading down his cheeks. "I know."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: London,

Colby groaned, it was 4:33 in the morning and the mechanical baby was crying. She got up sleepily and picked up the baby from it's car-seat. She felt around in the dark for the bottle after the baby accepted her ID. She found it under the bed and pressed it to the simulator's lips. She looked out of the hotel window. They were in London right now, her, Pia, and Jaz. Below them the city glowed with the small dots of streetlights. She looked towards her most favorite part of the city, Fleet Street and Bell Yard. Down those two streets were historic buildings of one of the most fantastically mythical tales that ever truly lived to be true. Sweeney Todd's barber shop and Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop. In those two buildings such horrendous murders occurred. Throats were slit and bodies skinned. Bones were ground and people sinned.

Colby heard the baby coo and set it down in the carrier. The sun was beginning to rise and she made her way back to her bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her hand. She groaned and pressed the green button, putting it on speaker. "Hello?" She says with her face in the pillow.

"Like hey, Col, it's me, Cousin Shaggy." The voice is scratchy and distant, coming from half-way around the world.

"Shag? What do you want? It's nearly five in the morning."

"Look, something happened the other night here in Coolsville. You know our headquaters right? The place where we all live together?" Colby hums a yes. "Well, last night, someone set it on fire."

"What?" Colby bolted upright in her bed. "How the hell did that happen?"

"All we got on Fred's security tape was a masked, robbed figure. Like, we need your help to clear our names."

"When do you need us down there?" Colby was already up and pulling a pair of jeans on.

"I got Uncle Stan to change your flight tickets home. Instead, you're going to come here in a couple hours, okay?" Colby hums a yes again as she holds the phone with her shoulder and pulls a t-shirt over her head. "Like, there's something else you need to know, Col." His voice is quiet and his tone is serious, but Colby knows that her cousin is only ever serious if bad news is going to come. In this case, worse news. "Not all of us got out in time. Vel-Velma, was still in her bedroom when the fire erupted." Colby gasped, nearly dropping her phone to floor.

"She's not... dead?"

"No, but she's in intensive care at Coolsville Medical, we need you to get over here, Col." His voice is painful. "I need you to get over here."

"Don't worry, Shag, we'll be there. We'll always be there." The meaning is clear. When one member of their family, small and broken as it may be, is in danger, or even just hurting, they'll all be there; no matter what.

"Like, thanks, Col. I'll see you in a few hours. Fred's picking you up at the airport." Shaggy's voice is is cackling with static, and Colby can't hear what is said next. She assumes it was somewhere along the lines of 'goodbye' as Shaggy has hung up. She presses the red button and the call is disconnected. She walks over to her sister's beds. She looks at Pia first. She is sound asleep in her bed. She goes over to the bedside and shakes Pia's shoulder. No response. Colby stands and backs up a bit. She takes a deep breath.

"PIA! JAZ! WAKE UP!" Pia nearly jumps out of her skin and Jasmine screams. "Now that I've got your attention, we have a plane to catch in about two hours."

"What are you talking about?" Jaz says as her heartbeat begins to drop.

"Shaggy needs our help, I'll tell you more later, but get packing first so we can catch some breakfast on the way." They nod and all begin to drag out their suitcases and bags, Colby every once in a while stopping to take care of the mechanical baby. When packing was done, they made their way to a coffee shop down the road and ate a quick breakfast of scones. Colby took that time to tell them everything that Shaggy had told her.

"So all they saw was a black figure running from the scene?" Pia asked as she sipped her Pepsi in the Airport terminal. Colby nodded. "Know anything else?"

"Nope, Shaggy only had time to call me so that we could make it onto the plane. He didn't have time to tell me anything else other than what happened." An attendant walked over to them then.

"Hello, my name is Sonya and I'm going to be your attendant for the flight. I'm going to be the one who escorts you to your gate when we land and the one who'll bring you to the UM room in Ohio." The woman had a forced smile on her.

"UM?" Jaz asked. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Unaccompanied minors, kid. Look, my boss is over there, so you brats are going to behave and stay quiet. You're not going to ask anything. Remember the golden rule," She looks at them threateningly. "Children were meant to be _seen _and not _heard_." Colby hides a laugh and they follow Sonya onto the plane a few minutes later.

Seven hours pass and Fred makes his way to Coolsville International Airport. He finds parking and steps in, making his way to the correct terminal. The plane lands and people begin to flood out in a steady stream. He keeps his eyes open and a flight attendant taps him on the shoulder. "May I help you, sir?"

"Uh, yes, thanks." Fred says as he turns to face the attendant. She's beautiful with almond eyes. He falters for a moment, then remembers just how much Daphne will kill him. "I'm just here to pick up my friend Shaggy's cousins."

"Are they minors?" The woman batts her long eyelashes and Fred swallows and nods. "I'll need some identification. Follow me please." He does and she leads him to a UM room. Fred takes out his driver's license and Shaggy's as well to show to the receptionist and the girls are allowed to leave with him. He sighs with relief at getting to go home.

They pull into Daphne's parent's drive and Colby, Pia, and Jaz are led up to the second floor to the guest bedrooms. Since the fire occurred they'd all been living in Daphne's parent's mansion as a way to stay close to each other. While the girls wouldn't have minded having to share a bedroom, they'd done so for most of their lives, they were given three separate bedrooms with connecting doors. Each had it's own complete bathroom, a desk with a computer chair, a large dresser, a wardrobe, a chest at the foot of the king-sized bed, and a chandelier that hung high above them at a vaulted ceiling. Daphne walked in while Colby and Pia were sitting on the chest in front of Colby's bed talking. Jaz was still unpacking in the other room.

"Hey, sorry if it's a bit much. My parent's get a bit carried away in showing the pride of Clan Blake's wealth and the success of Daddy's business." She sat down next to the two girls. "Are you guys alright, how did the flight go over?"

"It was pretty good, but I think the more important question right now is are you alright?" Pia said as she looked at Daphne's face. It was one thing for Daphne to forget to spray her hair with hairspray, it was another entirely for her not to have styled it at all, or to forget to put any makeup on for that matter.  
"Yea, I'm fine. It's just, with the fire and trying to save things from the carnage, I've just been busy lately, alright?" They nod and Daphne gives a sleepy smile. "I think I'm going to take a nap, I've been up all night going through the ashes with Fred and Shag. If you need anything you can just ask one of my sisters, Daisy, Dawn, Dorothy, or Delilah." They nod again and Daphne sets off. As soon as she is gone they look to each other. They know more is up than they can see. They know she misses Velma.

Meanwhile, a hooded figure watches in the near distance of the woods, waiting until the perfect time to strike the next match.


	3. Chapter 3

Curse of the One-eyed Phantom

Chapter Three: The Phantom and Velma

Part One: The Phantom

I want one thing understood up front so no one misunderstands: I didn't want anyone hurt when I set that fire. All I wanted was for Mystery Inc. to disband and Velma to leave Coolsville forever.

In the past, Mystery Inc. has solved cases and unmasked any number of villains but this is one case that they will never solve, for I am a phantom; I can go anywhere, do any thing. I even walked right into Velma's hospital room and said how sorry I was that this terrible thing had happened. I nearly gagged on the words, but no one was the wiser.

I hate, hate, hate Velma Dinkley! It was always Velma! "Did you see how Velma solved that case?" or

"It was Velma that found the clue that cracked the case!" Actually, Velma is the last to know anything.

Someone finds the clue and it's Velma's computer that tells her its importance. I think I hate that computer almost as much as I hate her. I admit Velma is smart, but she's always throwing her I.Q. in the face of that group she calls 'the gang'.

Which brings up 'the gang'. Oh yeah, don't let that blond-headed idiot tell you he's the leader. He can't tie his own shoes; he wears mock boots—no laces! Velma Dinkley is the real leader, make no mistake.

And Daphne Blake? Please! That girl can't pass a mirror without stopping to look, let alone the driving test for her license.

I really don't see what she sees in Fred. I mean she falls, literally, all over herself to get him to notice her, and does he? No! He's too busy planning traps that never work to notice any girl.

It's Shaggy I feel sorry for; how much longer is he going to put up with being treated like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your shoe? I think he's as much a changeling as I am; hiding his desires and dreams the same as I do.

I lay awake at night, listening to the quietness that fills this small room in which I dream of the day when Velma Dinkley leaves Coolsville forever—and I am finally able to throw off this chameleon

cloak and declare my undying love for Shaggy Rogers. I know I shouldn't put down my feelings for Shaggy in this or any other scribblings, but I can't help myself; I must declare my love for him or go mad.

And so I languish here in my bed; my plans come to me as ghosts on the night air and whisper enticingly to me and I listen to their voices. 'It's time for another tape,' the voices say; and this time something personal.

Part Two: Velma

This was the last test; pass this test and she could go home. She was tired of just lying in the hospital bed. What she wanted more than anything she had come to realize, was to relax; watch a monster movie and share a pizza with Shaggy and the gang. Velma took a deep breath, exhaled, and then inhaled as much air as possible. Quickly inserting the plastic tube into her mouth she blew and was rewarded by the little red ball rising just past half way up the vertical cylinder with it's divisions of measurement on one side.

Her lungs burned, little black dots began to form in her vision as the ball rose higher. She felt the last of her air leave her lungs. She felt dizzy when the last puff of air came out and the ball rose to the top of the cylinder.

"That's good, you can't stop now, Miss Dinkley." The young, good looking doctor reached out to take the contraption from her. "We don't want you to pass out on us and have to spend another night in the hospital, do we?" He made the notations in her chart and placed a stethoscope in his ears. She had been through this so many times, she knew what was coming next and uncovered her shoulders, holding the gown against her body.

'Who is this 'we' you keep mentioning?' Velma thought as the doctor moved the stethoscope from point to point, giving unnecessary instruction to breath in and out, sometimes normally, sometimes deeply.

'We are the only two in here.'

'Here' was a small cubical, filled with machines that made the cubical seem overcrowded. It was even more crowded with over six feet of good looking respiratory therapist who now sat in front of her. She dared not look into those dark eyes but concentrated on the cute bottomless cleft on his chin.

"You had a very close call, Miss Dinkley." He smiled broadly. Velma felt better when her hospital gown was back where it was supposed to be. "Doctor will have to have the final say, but your lungs sound clear. Remember, rest, plenty of fresh air; and above all, no brassieres, tube tops, or any tight fitting garments. Light exercise; your boyfriend will have to wait a few days before taking you dancing."

"I don't have a boyfriend." Velma replied sheepishly. 'But you could apply for the position,' the brunette added silently. "A friend is picking me up."

-Xxxxxx

"You sure you're okay?" A concerned Shaggy helped her out of the wheelchair and into the Mystery Machine where Scooby immediately pounced on her, licking her face.

"I'm okay, Shaggy, I just want to get home. You might convince me to share a movie and pizza with you."

"We have one stop first. Everyone is staying at Daphne's for now." He informed her as he pulled into traffic.

"Why are we stopping at the park?" Velma pushed Scooby away.

"I wanted to talk to you first...alone." Shaggy found a shady parking spot. "Want to take a walk? The doctor said to get fresh air." He opened her door, helping her out before taking her hand to lead her into the grassy park. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't remove her hand but followed his lead

to a park bench.

"What did you want to talk about, Shaggy?" Velma asked as Shaggy picked up a stick and threw it, Scooby running to retrieve it. Shaggy sat down beside her, taking her hand in both of his.

"I...I'm so sorry, Velma. I didn't go back to make sure you were okay. Later, they, the firefighters, threatened to have me arrested if I tried to go into the building after you."

"And you blame yourself? Shaggy, I don't want to hear any more of that talk. You and Fred did what was needed," her free hand caressed his cheek, "You have nothing to blame yourself for. I don't know what I'd do without you."

If a kiss was in the offering, the moment passed when Velma's ring tone announced an incoming call. The caller I D indicated the call was from Daphne.

"Hello, Daph. What's up?"

"Velma, are you out of the hospital? Is Shaggy with you?" Daphne's voice shook with foreboding.

"Yes, we're at the city park. What's going on?"

"Velma, another tape was just delivered."

"Daph, have you listened to it?"

"No, Fred and I decided to wait until you and Shaggy got here."

"Good. Don't play it until we get there." Velma disconnected the call, "You heard, Shaggy?"

"Yes. How did the Phantom know where to send the tape; we didn't tell anyone where we were.

Velma, there's something else. I called my cousins, they're here at Daphne's home too."

"I wish you hadn't done that, Shaggy. For now, they're in danger also."

Daphne and Fred met the Mystery Machine as soon as it pulled up at the Blake mansion. The four rushed into the mansion, heading to Daphne's room, meeting Colby, Pia and Jaz who awaited them.

The voice altered message was simple and direct: "This is your last warning. Velma Dinkley is to leave Coolsville forever; immediately. Mystery Inc. is to disband immediately. If you do not obey my warning, one by one, you will all die. This includes the three brats!"

At the stroke of midnight sirens again tore through the silence. When the fire trucks arrived the building was completely engulfed in flames. They could only hope to save the neighboring homes. When the fire had been extinguished, The home had been completely destroyed.

Frederick Herman Jones was homeless.


	4. Chapter 4

Curse of the One-eyed Phantom

Chapter Four: Beware the Trials

Fred's parents were sobbing in the living room of Blake manor, Mrs. Jones clutching the only surviving photo-album from the fire in a vice-like grip as Mr. Jones holds her close, thankful to have been out shopping that Sunday instead of home relaxing. In the background, Daphne's mother and father are speaking to police on what's happened at the Jones' home. Upstairs, Colby, Pia, and Jaz are replaying the tape, Colby copying every word she hears.

"Like, what're you doing?" Shaggy asked as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Checking for a cryptographic code in the message." She says calmly as she presses stop on the recorder. Next to her, Pia is sketching in a notebook with her laptop open in front of her on a stilled image from a video feed.

"A crypto-what?" Shaggy asked in confusion as he looked down at Colby's notes.

"A cryptographic code." Jaz tells him as she sits cross-legged on the bed. What looks to be a glass beaker sits in front of her with several strips of paper only barely touching the water that fills it. He sniffs the air, it smells strongly of gasoline. "She's checking for a pattern in the words; you know, in case there's a clue in the words. Uncle Stan practically trained her to death in it after she told him she liked solving codes."

"Right," Shaggy says in an understanding voice, "I have no idea what she's doing, so like, what're you doing?" He says, pointing to her beaker.

"One of these strips," She says, pointing to the one nearest her, "Has gasoline from the crime scene at headquarters on it, while all the others contain gasoline from every gas station in Coolsville. When the gasoline travels up the strip as the water pushes it, it'll turn a certain color to match that of the first strip if it's the same type of gasoline."

"Right," Shaggy draws out the word and turns to Pia, "Please tell me you're just drawing a picture?" They all laugh and Pia shows him her sketchpad. On it is a robbed figure, one half of the face is blurred out from the fast movement of the perpetrator, unfortunately, and the other is covered by what appears to either be long hair or part of the cloak.

"It helps if I draw it." Pia explains as she continues to add detail. Shaggy nods. If there was thing he knew at all times, it was never question his cousins ways. They may all be completely mad in their own special ways, but they were smart and he had no doubt that if they wanted, they could be a part of their own Mystery Inc.

A knock sounds on the door and the door opens slightly. It's Velma. She steps in and another girl follows suit. They look a lot alike, the only real difference being in the hair and glasses style. The other girl had pony-tails in her hair and wore white glasses rather than black. "Hi." She says cheerily, waving slightly.

"I just came to see where you guys were," Velma says, "Dinner starts soon. This is my sister Madelyn. Madds, you know Shaggy, well these are his younger cousins. Pia, Jasmine, and Colby." Madelyn smiles and quickly excuses herself on errands.

"She seemed in a hurry." Colby says after Madelyn has gone. Velma nods.

"Well, she's a bit lost at the moment, she can't decide what to do with her life." She sits on the bed with the rest of them, looking at all they're doing. "Did you find anything in the message?" Colby shakes her head no as another knock comes from the door. Daphne walks in and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Any luck?" Everyone shakes their heads. Daphne sighs, "Fred's taking the burning pretty hard you know. His whole life was in that house. Alumni Degree, College Degree, birth certificate, memories, you name it, it was in his parents house." Colby looks up from her notes.

"Everything?" Daphne nods. "Ok, this may be a bit far-fetched here, but I think I have myself a theory." They all look at her expectantly as she begins tearing through her notebook for a clean page. When she finds one, she immediately begins scribbling notes and diagrams.

"This may take a while before she speaks again, I suggest coming back later?" Pia says, setting aside her now complete sketch. They all nod and excuse themselves.

Part 2:

It's five in the morning, and the three girls are still awake, contemplating their now shared theory. They are on the roof, having found a ladder leading up to it. The air is cool and crisp, perfect Lake Erie autumn breezes flowing in. It all felt familiar to them in a reminiscent sense. They'd been coming to Coolsville ever since they were little. They always blamed coming for Thanksgiving for the fond memories of the breezes and the crinkly leaves that blew their way all the way across the lake from as far as Fort Niagara and beyond, but something always loomed over them. A feeling that they'd been here for far longer than a few weeks at a time. They shake off the feeling and focus on the now ready strips of paper. They each take strips and compare them to the first.

"Hmmm," Jaz says after a while, "No match..."

"It must have been imported." Pia says, writing that down in the notebook.

"No, I don't think so." Colby says. "The only way would have to be across the lake or through the canal. Both of which are fairly far-fetched ideas at that considering they have gasoline right here in the local stations." As she says this, something is thrown onto the roof. A tape-recorder with a message on it. Delicately, Pia presses play.

_'Listen well, brats. You're opening doors you're going to wish you'd never even laid eyes on, so I suggest you high-tail it straight back to your dirndl-wearing, beer-drinking country and leave Coolsville forever. This is between me, and them; got it? Now, if you're a good bunch of brats, I'll make sure your cousin, Norville, makes it out unscathed. Don't pretend I don't know all about your petty broken family, I know for sure you'd never risk what you have left. If you stay, well, I'd have to say let our games begin.' _The voice dies off and they look at each other knowingly. If their theory is wrong, and they blow it, they're all going to die. They only have one trial; no error.


	5. Chapter 5

Curse of the One-eyed Phantom

Chapter Five: The Players

Part One: The Adults

"Frederick? Where has that boy gotten to?" Peggy Jones had a death grip on the photo album she pressed against her chest. "Skipper, go see if you can find our boy."

"He's fine, Peg. I'm sure he'd rather stay here with his friends." 'Skipper' (or Skip) Jones, so called from his little known days in the Navy, was irritated by his wife's fixation on Fred's whereabouts at any given time. The two fires had rubbed their nerves raw. "He's a man now; he can take care of himself. We need to leave, get to our motel."

"Don't worry, mom. I'm right here. Dad's right, I want to be here. We need to stop this arsonist before anyone gets hurt." One hundred eighty five pounds of muscle stretched over a frame only an inch shorter than Shaggy's six feet made for an imposing figure when Frederick (Fred) Jones walked into the Blake Mansion living room.

Four other figures arrayed themselves on either side of Fred. This movement by Scooby, Shaggy, Velma and Daphne made a statement to the four adults in the room. Fred was their leader and had their support just as they had his back.

"No one is going anywhere." All eyes turned in surprise to Elizabeth Blake. "We have plenty of room and I will not have my friends and the parents of my daughter's boyfriend staying in a," Elizabeth Blake shuddered just at the thought, "A motel. Maria has already made up your room."

"Mom! Fred isn't my boyfriend! We're just...good friends." Daphne Blake shot a blistering look at her mother but a crimson blush rose from neck to the base of her red hair.

'And I'm a monkey's uncle.' George Blake covered a smirk with a cough and the back of his hand.

"Very well, D. I will not have the parents of my daughter's friend stay at any...motel, and that's final."

"Would you kids like to see some pictures? It's all we have left." Peggy sniffled, her eyes begging.

"I'm just a S.O. W. G. W. P."

"What's that, Mrs. Jones?" Everyone wanted to know but it was Velma that voiced the question.

"Silly Old Wannabe Grandma With Pictures, Velma. Now come sit down." All four young people flushed and stared nervously at each other.

"Not now, Mom!" Fred was in no mood to be mortified, knowing just what pictures his mom was referring to.

"Actually, Mrs. Jones, that might be a good idea. I'd like to see Freddie in his birthday suit lying on a bear skin rug." Daphne snickered. "Do you have any clippings of our cases?"

"I'm glad you think it's a good idea, Dee. I'll get our album with you on a bear skin rug. And I may have some old clippings myself."

"Mom! That's so embarrassing! I'm sure Freddie doesn't want to see those pictures."

"I think I know what Daphne means. This arsonist has targeted Mystery Inc. in general, me in particular. Maybe we can get a clue from an old case of ours."

"Skip, would you like to join me in my study? We'll let them reminisce." George thought having eight eyes to watch over two young couples was better than four.

An hour passed quickly as Daphne and Fred sat through the humiliation of bare bottoms on bear skin rugs, no clue worth its salt emerged from the clippings. Every one drifted away. George and Skip heading toward the study while Maria showed Peggy to her room. Fred, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby walked back to Daphne's room, which had been converted to a temporary, if small, headquarters. Daphne waited until everyone had left the room before approaching her mother.

"Mom, Would it be okay if..." Daphne began.

"...If Fred was your boyfriend?" Smiling, Elizabeth Blake finished for her.

"Yes. I...think I love him. It's just so confusing. And Dad..."

"Dee, I've been waiting for you to say that. Maybe it'll help if we talk about it. As far as your Dad is concerned, between the two of us..."

"...Dad won't stand a chance will he?" This time it was Daphne who finished the thought.

"None I can see." Elizabeth agreed.

-Xxxxxx

Skip relaxed in an overstuffed chair in George's comfortable study while pictures were being poured over.

"Skip, I need your help. Those two don't fool me as much as they think they do. They haven't admitted it to each other or to themselves but they're in love."

"And you want an extra set of eyes. Can't say I blame you, George; we were they're age once.

Daphne is a wonderful and beautiful young woman. Peggy and I would welcome her as a daughter-in-law." Skip had to laugh then changed to a more serious subject. "What do you make of this arson business?"

"Must be a crazy person. It doesn't make much sense otherwise."

"I'll agree to a point, George, but I think he's very smart; he's left no evidence the police have been able to find."

"You said 'he'; you think it's a man doing this?"

"I think Fred might be onto something about their past cases."

"I've got a few ideas that might help. I want to talk to Elizabeth first, this concerns her too."

"Same here. I think we should talk to Harold and Marilyn too. They might be in danger also. Let's sleep on it and talk it over in the morning."

"Good idea, Skip." George looked at the antique clock on the wall. "It's not too late, I'll call Harold, then turn in."

-Xxxxxx

Part Two: Mystery Inc.

"That wasn't such a bad picture of you Freddie." Daphne joked when she joined the rest of her friends in their irregular headquarters.

"I wouldn't talk, Daph. That was a lot of bare skin on that bear skin. Good idea you had, too bad it didn't pan out." Fred commented, hoping to change the subject from the awkward pictures both had had to endure.

"Thanks, Freddie. Guys, mom is putting out snacks in the kitchen if you want some."

"Thanks, Daphne. Maybe later, we need to talk over some things first." Colby indicated to her sisters that it was time to disappear and ushered them out the door. Shaggy and Scooby had ran out of the room straightaway after Daphne's announcement.

"I think I better make sure Shaggy and Scooby leave you guys something." Velma followed the retreating forms of Shaggy and Scooby.

"Well, that cleared the room," Fred's facial expression made Daphne giggle.

"Good, it was supposed to." Daphne sat on the edge of the bed, "Freddie, I wanted to talk to you alone."

"What about, Daph?" Fred joined her, speaking in his best 'big brother' voice.

"This might not be the best time to bring it up but I was talking to mom earlier...mom's okay with it."

"What, Daph?" Now Fred had no idea what was making Daphne so nervous. He had never seen her in such agitation.

"Freddie, Jeepers! This is hard...Freddie, would you be my boyfriend, not just my friend? There! I said it!"

A stunned Fred could only stare at the girl sitting beside him. His mouth had suddenly become as dry as any desert in the world.

-Xxxxxx

Part Three: The Phantom

Early the following morning the Phantom awoke with a startling realization! After so much careful

planning in the attempt to leave no clue, a mistake had been made. It was a silly, careless error but a slip up none the less. Quick action was the only alternative. The Phantom plumped up the pillows, staring at the ceiling. The whispering voices came as expected; an evil smile appeared as the Phantom listened to the vocalizations.

_Let the games begin!_


	6. Chapter 6

Curse of the One-eyed Phantom

Chapter Six:

Colby and Pia were sneaking their way into the kitchen. It was late at night; four in the morning to be exact. They weren't hungry really, but a kitchen at four in the morning was a good place to talk if you wanted no one else to hear. They tip-toed gently down the stairs, being careful about Colby's mechanical baby that was of course going with her. She'd called the teacher saying it was an emergency, but the teacher wouldn't turn it off just because they were in America for a while. Colby swore beneath her breath and she nearly tripped and fell down the last four or five steps to the first floor landing. Pia caught her arm before she could fall and Colby took extra careful steps until they reached the door of the kitchen.

They creaked it open and stepped inside. Surprisingly, the lights were already on, not so surprisingly they saw it was Shaggy in the kitchen. "Like, hey guys. Couldn't sleep either?" They shake their heads and Colby sets the baby on the kitchen counter. "Here," He hands them each an empty ceramic mug and fills it with a steaming liquid from a pitcher sitting on the counter. They take a whiff, its hot chocolate. "Marshmallows?" They nod and he pours some into each of their cups from a bag on the counter.

"How long have you been down here?" Colby asks as she takes a sip of the creamy hot chocolate.

"Since about midnight. I've been thinking about this mess."

"So have we, we think we may have picked up on something from one of the phantom's messages." Pia says, setting her mug aside and reaching into Colby's 'diaper bag.' She pulls out a spiral notebook and sets it on the counter, flipping through until she reaches the page containing their notes.

"You see," Colby begins, "We believe the phantom is truly only after one person."

"Right, and that's Velma." Shaggy states as if it were the obvious. Colby shakes her head.

"No, it's not. If the phantom were truly only after Velma, she could have easily broken into the hospital and done away with her. No, the phantom doesn't want to hurt Velma."

"Shaggy," Pia says, using the nick-name that she and her sisters had created so long ago, "The phantom's after you."

Part Two:

Madelyn Mace Dinkley was sitting at home with her parents, Harold and Marilyn Dinkley, when it happened. Just as Madelyn was heading out for errands, she came running in with a tape recorder. Her parents told her not to play it and they drove immediately over to the Blake mansion. She rushed inside with the tape and handed it over quickly to Mystery Inc. (plus a few). They played the tape and Velma readied herself with a notepad.

_'Mystery Incorporated, I've warned you one time too many, and this warning will be your last. To the brats that ignored the tape I made especially for them, know that you've tipped the tables in favor of the __Games. One by one, each of you will go missing late at night from your beds, one by one each of you will be thrown into the Arena. By the way, you brats were pretty close to just beginning to unravel this mystery last night. That's right, I was there and you had better behave yourselves. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to a certain uncle of yours, now would we?'_

Colby, Pia, and Jaz stare at each other in disbelief; the phantom had the only person that had raised them for as long as they could remember, the phantom had Uncle Stan.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey, Shaggelmalove speaking, this chapter takes place the same night as the previous chapter : D**

Curse of the One-eyed Phantom

Chapter Seven: Squares, Triangles and Daphne

Fred lay in bed, leaning back on a pile of pillows drawing squares and triangles in a school notebook,

his legs drawn up to form an impromptu, if unsteady, work desk. The squares and triangles looked amazingly like cages or traps which hadn't been on his mind when Daphne had left the bedroom earlier in the evening. He had planned on making his own list of what they knew about this Phantom that had plagued the gang of late.

Her question of being boyfriend/girlfriend had left him high and dry—literally. High because he had wanted to ask her that same question so many times in the past but there had always been another trap to build, another mystery to solve. And too, there had been Shaggy and Velma appearing at just the wrong moment. He and Daphne had struck up a friendship the first day they had met. The youngest of four daughters, she was spoiled but not snobbish, beautiful but down to earth, smart, but never let on just how smart but above all, loyal to her friends.

Dry because he was sure the Sahara desert had more water than his mouth when he had stumbled over the words, "Sure, I'd like that." Dry too, when his mind had become a desolate wasteland of what to do next.

The question of what to do next was answered by Daphne herself when she gave his bicep an affectionate squeeze and whispered in his ear, "Good, I was afraid you'd say 'no'." Having her so near

had made his blood boil; when they had pulled back slowly, their lips had met haltingly, questioning the rightness of the moment. When neither objected and spurred on by the new feelings that both surprised and startled them, the kiss had lengthened. It had changed from quizzical to a level of intensity neither had experienced before or expected. She had taken her hand from his bicep, placing it around his neck, curling her fingers in his blond hair; thus encouraged, he had placed his arms around her waist.

He had kissed girls before, sure, but not with the heightened feelings being returned or in a bedroom

with such a big bed that carried its own temptation. He had only meant to hold her hand when he had moved his hand downward but he had inadvertently brushed her breast and she had captured his hand, breaking their kiss. "Please," her voice low and her breathing coming faster than necessary, "not now, not here. You aren't that irresistible—yet." Her soft laughter had conceded an unspoken promise of another time, another place.

But that wasn't the reason, the real reason, for Fred to abandon the endless squares and triangles and began to write her name. "Daphne Jones", "Mrs. Daphne Jones", and "Mr. and Mrs. Fred (not Frederick!) Jones now adorned the bottom half of the page. The reason lay in what she had said after their last kiss; she had started toward the door when she turned , kissing her fingertips and blew him the kiss before saying, "16."

Fred wrote her name again, adding "16?" What did she mean by 16? It wasn't her age; Fred had no clue at the moment but it was obvious she expected him to know or was it a mystery just for him to solve?

She had said nothing else, just turned around and walked into the door. If Daphne had one fault, it was that she was slightly accident prone. She opened the door and slipped away.

She had left something behind when she left. Fred touched his lips where she had kissed him so fervently. He wasn't sure what it was, this feeling of a void that filled the room without her presence. He was sure of one thing: whatever was building between he and Daphne would have to wait until the mystery of the Phantom was solved. They had been working defensively, now it was time to go on the offensive.

And so, with thoughts of Daphne dancing in his head, Fred did what any red blooded young man would do. He went in search of his father.

-Xxxxxx

"We have to do something and do it quick!" George Blake was in no mood to sit behind his large Victorian desk and do nothing. He hadn't become one of the richest, if not the richest, man in Coolsville by sitting on his behind.

Skip Jones, Mayor of Coolsville, sat in the comfortable overstuffed chair watching his long-time friend

wear a path in the thick carpet. "I've been doing some thinking along that line. We haven't supported the kids in the past but I think, under the circumstances, we change that. I've been thinking of opening the city's databanks to them; that's not done for civilians but in this case, I think it's warranted."

"Do you think there is a clue to this Phantom in the databanks?" George continued to pace.

"I do. I think it must be in one of their cases. The problem the police have is they don't know what to look for; it would take forever to run every case. The kids would know what to look for, cutting the time down considerably. Also, this house and the Dinkley home is still untouched, the police don't have the manpower to keep a twenty-four hour surveillance on both locations. I'm going to recommend to Harold and Marilyn that they start a neighborhood watch as soon as possible."

"Dad, I'm sorry for barging in but Shaggy and I have been talking..." Fred began when he and Shaggy entered the inner sanctum.

"Fred talked, I only listened," Shaggy rectified.

"We've been talking," Fred corrected, "we think it's time we went on the offensive. Could the gang have access to the police databanks and maybe have Velma's parents do a neighborhood watch?"

"George, I told you the gang was smart. Come on in, guys, I think those are excellent ideas. I can call the police chief first thing in the morning."

-Xxxxxx

Midnight, and the house was quiet. Shaggy and Scooby slipped out of their room, making their way toward the kitchen, "time for a little midnight snack, wonder if they have any hot chocolate?" Shaggy muttered to himself as they passed Velma's door.

"Raggy?" Scooby stopped, looking at the door which was slightly ajar.

"You want to be a watch dog and guard Velma, Scoob?"

"Reah, reah."

"Okay, go ahead. That will just leave more hot chocolate for me."

The big dog pushed the door open and jumped up on the bed, settling down with his head on a pillow next to Velma.

"Shaggy? What are you doing in my bedroom?" A sleepy Velma threw her hand over Scooby's neck.

"I'm glad you're here."

In only moments, both girl and dog were fast asleep.


End file.
